Malawian lawmakers seek Zambia education on ways to implement abolition of death penalty

A delegation of Malawian lawmakers are in the country to study how to implement the abolition of the death penalty.

In December 2022, Zambia became the 25th country to ban the death penalty after President Hakainde Hichilema signed into law Penal Code Amendment Bill number 25.

Malawian Parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee Chairperson, Albert Mbawala, praised Zambia for setting a good precedent on the ban.

Mbawala who was the leader of the delegation said the death penalty abolition needed to be replicated in other countries.

Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on Minister of Justice, Mulambo Haimbe, in Lusaka on Monday, Mbawala said Malawi had been undertaking a consultative process which has been on since 2015.

The Malawian legislator said the delegation was, therefore, eager to learn from Zambia on how the process had been implemented successfully.

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“The issue of the death penalty is very controversial in our society, some are for it while others are against it for various reasons. We would really love to share those experiences, how Zambians have accepted this type of reform,” Mbawala said.

Minister of Justice, Mulambo Haimbe, said the country was still dealing with how to handle the post-abolition stage, even after removing the death penalty from Zambia’s laws.

Haimbe said Zambia would consult widely on how to handle the phase that followed implementation of the abolition of the death penalty.

“Even as we have abolished the death penalty, the post-abolition phase is one way we are still learning, still ensuring that we try as much as possible to bring the people along and this is something we can equally learn. Your plans as to how you intend to deal with post abolition because our cultures are so similar,” Haimbe said.

The Minister also said there were different aspects that needed proper consideration such as how the state handled victims and families of those that committed heinous crimes, that would previously warrant a convict to be handed the death penalty.

Haimbe added that government was ready to share the county’s experiences on how it has implemented the ban.

Malawi has been undertaking a consultative process of implementation of the death penalty for eight years.

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